Instructor numbers have fallen since Covid, and continue to be an issue for clubs, especially as many excellent instructors have not revalidated in recent years. This is either because they have not logged enough hours over the period of the pandemic or because they have had time away from instructing. While taking an instructor course again can be expensive and time consuming, the RYA offers another option for Instructors whose qualifications are up to ten years out-of-date – a free revalidation day.
Candidates defied a very wet day at Royal Dart Yacht Club (RDYC) when they took part in an Instructor Revalidation Day run by RYA Sailing Scheme Trainer Pete Muskett in April. The very competent group included two RDYC members and a couple who first qualified as Dinghy Instructors in 2011 – at Mount Batten Watersports Centre with Pete!
Helen Allen and Andy Wadsworth have been teaching regularly since then, until recently at Welsh Harp Sailing Club in North London. They moved to Brixham in 2021, and now run Plain Sailing at Brixham Yacht Club, enabling Level 1 and 2 sailors to practise and bridge the gap with racing and other courses, as well as keep their sailing skills active through the winter when racing stops.
“A great day spent mostly on the water,” said Helen. “RDYC was a good venue, I loved meeting other DIs, and I picked up on some old tips that I’d forgotten!
She has already seen the benefits of attending: “The revalidation day has unlocked our ability to deliver courses and move forward with our five-year plan to build up the club’s dinghy sailing fleet from the current very small numbers.”
Pete Muskett enjoyed the day too: “It was good to see Helen and Andy again. And I learnt as much from the team as they learnt from me,” he said.
If your club has volunteers whose instructor tickets are out-of-date, contact RDO Rob Howlett and we’ll run a one-day course for you. If you’re an individual Instructor who needs to revalidate, let Rob know, and he’ll make sure you’re on the list for the next available course.
